Muscle group
Lower back Exercises
The spinal erectors run either side of your spine and resist it rounding under load. They work hard on every squat, deadlift and carry you do, whether or not you train them directly.
Because they are already loaded by your heavy compound work, direct lower-back training is a supplement, not a foundation. A small amount of hinging or extension work goes a long way, and this is the one area where more is reliably worse.
13 lower back exercises in Gym Journal
9 compound and 4 isolation, each with a default rep range and rest interval already set. Everything here is in the free app.
| Exercise | Equipment | Type | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Extensionalso Glutes, Hamstrings | Bodyweight | isolation | 12–15 |
| Bird Dogalso Glutes, Abs | Bodyweight | isolation | 10–15 |
| Clean Deadliftalso Hamstrings, Glutes, Traps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Clean Pullalso Hamstrings, Glutes, Traps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Deadliftalso Hamstrings, Glutes, Traps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Deficit Deadliftalso Hamstrings, Glutes, Traps | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Good Morningalso Hamstrings, Glutes | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Kettlebell Deadliftalso Glutes, Hamstrings | Kettlebell | compound | 6–10 |
| Machine Back Extension | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Rack Pullalso Traps, Glutes | Barbell | compound | 4–8 |
| Seated Good Morningalso Glutes | Barbell | compound | 8–12 |
| Supermanalso Glutes | Bodyweight | isolation | 12–20 |
| Trap Bar Deadliftalso Glutes, Quads, Traps, Hamstrings | Barbell | compound | 5–8 |
Log them, and watch the numbers move
Every exercise here is in the free app, with form instructions, its own progression chart and PR tracking. No account needed to start.